The Perfect Story
by TombRaiderNinja
Summary: Strange happenings surrounding an old mansion catch the attention of two young journalists. Intrigued and ready to investigate, Cole and Nya work together to unravel the truth. But when a storm leaves them stranded inside, they come to realize that some stories are better left untold. Ninjago AU. Daily updates leading up to Halloween.
1. The Mansion

Chapter 1-The Mansion

"Remind me again, why we're doing this?"

Cole's voice was thin and soft, filled with a nervous edge. His fingers tapped against the steering wheel of his truck, eyes squinted against the shaded path. Nya sat beside him, her body language the polar opposite of his. She was leaned forward in her seat, eyes wide with wonder, eager and bold.

"Because we need a good story to write." Nya smiled to herself, sense of adventure making her heart hammer victoriously against her chest. "Besides, you don't _really_ believe the place is haunted, do you?"

"Of course I believe it." Cole huffed. "Why wouldn't I believe it? People have gone _missing_ in this place. That's got ghosts written all over it."

"Or people who wanted to disappear took advantage of the urban legend." Nya pointed out. "Besides, _someone_ answered the phone. _Someone_ said it was alright for us to come poke around. Can ghosts do that? Answer phones? Give directions?"

"Possibly."

Nya didn't respond. She knew they could both argue for hours, without actually settling down. They both had very different views of the world, and very little desire to change them. Despite the differences, however, Cole and her made a good team.

A large mansion rolled into view. Cole groaned as it did, fighting the urge to drop it all and turn back around. Vines crawled up the side of it, and the vast grounds surrounding it poorly kept. An uneasy feeling rattled through Cole as they drove through the open gate.

"You have to admit, it _looks_ creepy."

"It looks _interesting_." Nya countered, although she did find the place a tad unsettling. When they rolled to a stop, she clicked off her seatbelt and hopped out of the truck. Her boots sunk into the mud with a soft _squish_. On the opposite side of the truck, Cole did the same.

"Gross." He frowned.

"Let's go. The owner's probably waiting for us." Nya did her best to keep balanced through the soft ground, moving forward with a determined gait.

"They're not home, actually."

Cole and Nya, on edge as they were, jolted at the sudden voice. The turned to the source, spotting a young man who was quite the opposite of threatening. Wild auburn hair adorned the top of his head, and his eyes were a bright cheerful blue. Nya thought his features looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't place them. He gave a wave as he moved closer.

"Hello! You must be the ones that called yesterday. I'm Jay. I take care of the place. Ish. Not much _one_ person can do against _this_ mess." Jay chuckled, gesturing to the tall grass and invasive vines. "But I do try."

"I'm Nya."

"And I'm wondering what you meant when you said the owner isn't home?" Cole asked.

"That's a _long_ name." Jay laughed again. "In all seriousness though, something came up. You could wait. Or you could go home. Come back some other time. He probably wouldn't mind."

"Great." Cole readied himself to turn, but Nya grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks.

"We're already here, might as well look around."

"Nya, why?"

" _Because_ ," Thunder grumbled above them. Nya smirked. "You wouldn't want to drive in the rain."

Cole looked up, watching the dark clouds. His face scrunched up as a drop fell against his cheek. "Fine. But as soon as it clears up, we're leaving. Even if the owner hasn't shown."

"Deal!" Nya nodded.

"Follow me then!" Jay scurried through the grounds, and Nya a followed closely. Cole moved a bit more reluctantly, but he moved nonetheless.

Once inside, the fear was momentarily wiped from Cole's mind. The mansion was grand, far more than he'd expected it to be. He lifted the camera that hung around his neck, snapping pictures of the more attractive pieces of decoration.

Jay led them into a small living room, where a warm fire had already been brought to life. It flickered pleasantly, giving the room a homey feeling. "You can wait here. I'll see if I can get ahold of him."

With one last look at them both, Jay stepped back out of sight. Cole continued to snap pictures of his surroundings, while Nya strolled through the area, committing every detail to memory.

"He must be a collector of some sort," Nya said, picking up a small figurine. It was carefully crafted, and incredibly life-like. She set it back down, turning toward Cole. "There's so much stuff here."

"No kidding." Cole lowered his camera. "And this is just _one_ room. The guy must be loaded."

Once their curiosity had been mildly satiated, they sat together on one of the couches in the room to wait. Cole hummed softly, while Nya scribbled questions to ask the owner once he finally showed.

They waited. And waited.

The rhythmic tick of the clock, along with the soothing warmth made both of their eyelids grow heavy. They each fought back the urge to sleep, but in the end, boredom made their minds too numb to argue. Their eyes shut almost in unison, sending them spiraling into a welcoming darkness.

* * *

A sudden shiver rattled through Nya's body.

Her eyes snapped open, and it took her a couple of seconds to process the world. The room Jay had left them in had grown dark, the fire having burned out and the thick rain blocking any light from outside.

Nya sat up slowly, stretching out her arms as she did. "Cole."

Cole snored away in response. Nya frowned, stepping up to him and shaking his arm roughly. " _Cole."_

"Huh?" Cole's eyes blinked open, unfocused and reddened. Nya waited patiently. All at once, Cole hopped into a sitting position, turning left and right. "Whoa. We're still here? What happened?"

"We fell asleep."

"What time is it?" Cole looked behind Nya, at the windows roughly splattered with rain. "It's _still_ raining?"

"The roads are probably flooded by now." Nya slipped her phone out of her pocket to check the exact time, but the screen wouldn't light. She frowned, then gave up, looking up at the aged clock against the wall. "And it's. . . holy crap. It's midnight."

"No way." Cole shivered, looking at the clock himself. When Nya's words were revealed to be true, he stood, clutching his camera tight. "We need to go home. This is _not_ right. The owner should have been here already! This place is way, way creepy. I'm done. _We're_ done."

"Something is definitely not right." Nya agreed. "But we can't go home. Can you even drive in this?"

"I'd rather try than stay here." Cole shrugged. Nya didn't think it would be much use to argue, so she followed. Together, they retraced the path back to the entrance.

The room hadn't been too far into the mansion, so the route should have been easy to remember. There was no complicated pattern of turns, nor a considerable amount and steps. And yet. . .

"Um." Cole frowned. "What?"

Before them, stood the same dimly lit room they'd walked away from.


	2. A Twisted Night

Chapter 2- A Twisted Night

Cole forced himself to laugh. "That's. . . silly us. We must have taken a wrong turn."

"Yeah . . ." Nya said. "A wrong turn."

She knew this was a lie. Still, a wrong turn was easier to believe than. . . whatever other option there was.

They moved forward again together. Same steps. Same turns. Cole stuck close, his heart hammering and his eyebrows permanently pushed together with tension. Once again, where the front door should have been, they found the room they'd just left.

" _No_." Cole hissed. "We're dreaming. Or this house has a bunch of rooms that are identical. Or. . . something."

"Maybe there's something we need to do, before we can. . . reach the exit." Nya shrugged, trying to play along with the bizarre rules before her. Instead of attempting to leave the room, she looked around, trying to pinpoint anything that might seem out of place.

"If I agree with that, then we're agreeing that this place is haunted." Cole pouted. "I _knew_ it. I knew this whole thing was a terrible idea. Well. Whether the dumb ghosts like it or not, I'm leaving."

Nya didn't pay much attention to Cole's words, focused as she was with the room's odd trinkets. An idea sparked up in her mind, and she swiveled around to face her friend. "The pictures you took! Maybe we can try to. . ."

Her words faded into silence, as she realized she was speaking to no one. "Cole?"

No response. Nya cursed. She felt unnerved by the situation, but determined to keep calm. It was just a mansion, after all. A mansion that _someone_ owned, someone who had spoken to her the day before.

So, okay. She would play along. That was the best bet for keeping her mind straight.

"If I can't leave for now, then I won't." The sound of her own voice was strong and reassuring. "I can keep looking through the house. Find Cole and get a good story while I'm at it."

Instead of heading to where the front door should have been, Nya turned the opposite way, toward a grand staircase that seemed to be straight out of a movie set. Everything was incredibly unkept. Dust gathered on the banisters, and spiderwebs hid within unreachable corners.

Nya climbed slowly, repeating to herself over and over that everything was alright. When she reached the second floor, Nya stopped, looking at either end of the hall, wondering which way to go.

As she was deciding, a sudden realization hit her. She could see everything perfectly. Even though the windows were darkened. Even though there was no proper source of light. Even though minutes ago, everything had been nothing but shadows.

"Just got adjusted to the light." Nya lied, pushing the mystery away and moving forward. Most of the doors she tried were locked. Every so often, she would call out for Cole, although each attempt became more and more disinterested.

 _Click!_

One of the door handles finally twisted fully, allowing Nya to step inside. Giddy with curiosity now, she swung the door open without missing a beat.

Inside, was a library. She smiled to herself, forgetting the predicament of the looping hallways all at once. The shelves around her were impossibly high, and they were all overflowing with aged books. The whole room was a banquet of information.

And Nya was starved.

She rushed to the nearest shelf, taking out the first book her hands touched. A tingle traveled up her arm. Nya dismissed the feeling as excitement.

The book was heavier than she'd expected. She set herself down on the floor, opening it with gentle movements. Instead of average pages, the book was filled with newspaper cut outs.

"Even better," Nya said, to no one, leaning closer to discern the small faded letters.

At first, the articles were simple. They spewed average information on the day the owner, unnamed, had set out to make it. The day it had been finished. Events that were held within its walls.

And then. . .

Nya frowned. The date of the paper before her had to be off. It was set five years in the future. The story was harmless enough, talking about a small store opening in the city. She turned the page. The year was the same. But the article wasn't quite as uninteresting.

 _ **Local Reporter Responsible For Drug Dealer Downfall**_

 _As Ninjago's drug problem continued to grow, Nya Smith refused to back down. Instead of accepting the city's dark side, she set out to the streets, with a specific goal in mind. To find the culprit, and bring them to justice._

 _Smith never stopped to think that the task might be too big. Instead, she focused on moving forward, from one clue to the next, risking her life without a second thought._

Nya's eyes flew through the words. The story even included small quotes from her own lips. She turned the page again. The next article was set one year further into the future. And once again, it was about her.

 _ **Nya Smith: Ninjago's Hero**_

Nya read the words with greed, zooming from sentence to sentence, turning the page again and again, never quite satiated. The book continued to offer endless stories of the future, giving just enough to leave her wanting more.

* * *

"If I agree with that, then we're agreeing that this place is haunted." Cole pouted. "I _knew_ it. I knew this whole thing was a terrible idea. Well. Whether the dumb ghosts like it or not, I'm leaving."

As soon as he said the words, Cole continued to march back out into the hall, trusting that Nya would follow. Bizarre loop or not, the exit _had_ to exist. Somewhere.

"You've got to agree, we're never doing this again," Cole said, as once again, the room he had left materialized before him. Nya didn't answer. Cole turned to look behind him, only to find her gone. "Nya?"

No answer. "Not funny Nya. I'm seriously rethinking finding a different partner!"

Nothing. Cole bit his lip. He couldn't panic. He could _not_ panic. When someone panicked, things instantly got worse. No exceptions.

But how could he stay calm? He was alone, in a haunted mansion that refused to let him go.

"Just let me out, okay?" Cole negotiated with the silent walls around him. Unfortunately, they didn't respond. "Please. I'm going out into the hall. And the door will be there. Alright?"

Cole's soft voice was on the edge of becoming unhinged, but he nodded calmly to himself, eager to keep up the charade of control. He then exited the room with his eyes shut, believing with all his might that the door would stand before him.

Seconds ticked. Cole kept his eyes shut, afraid to open them and face reality. But keeping still would only drag matters out, and the last thing Cole wanted was to spend more time here than he needed to.

He opened his eyes.

And melted with relief.

The door was there, standing at the end of the hall. Cole had never seen anything more beautiful. He took a step forward, then another, and another, gaining momentum as he went. Problem was, the door never got any closer.

Cole stopped moving, squinting his eyes in annoyance. The door mocked him, standing just out of reach.

"Just let me out." He half-shouted, with anger rather than fear.

On command, the door swung open slowly, with an eerie creak. The rain outside had almost faded, and he could see his truck clearly, half sunk into the muddy ground. It was going to be a headache to get it out. But Cole was willing to deal with that, instead of the never-ending hall before him.

Even with the door open, the exit remained unreachable. Cole continued to move forward at a desperate pace, mind tricking him into believing that the door was a _little_ closer, he only had to go a _little_ further. . .

A sudden, overpowering yawn halted his moments. Cole blinked, slowly realizing his eyes were burning with exhaustion. He shook his head, chasing away a numb feeling in his mind. With a slow breath, Cole accepted that the house was _not_ going to let him out.

But still. It had responded to his requests. In a teasingly useless manner, but responded nonetheless. He could figure this out. Everything had a solution.

"Fine. No out. But where's Nya?" Cole's voice sounded hoarse, as if he had spent hours without speaking. Except, of course, that couldn't have been possible.

The door shut. Cole blinked. In that millisecond of darkness, the walls of the house shifted.

He now stood before a large window, although he was still within the mansion's walls. Looking through the glass, Cole spotted Nya. She was bent forward, reddened eyes running through the letters of a book impossibly fast.

"Nya!" Cole shouted, banging on the glass. As he'd expected, Nya did not look up.

You get a glimpse of what you want, but never quite get it. Funny rules, for a haunted house.

Rules were something Cole could work with, however. Rules were something he could twist.

Or better yet, break.

Cole took a step back, then slammed the sole of his unlaced boot against the window.


	3. Empty Roads

Chapter 3- Empty Roads

"Whoa! Buddy! Hey, are you alright?"

Cole blinked against sudden, blinding sunlight. Confusion caused him to stumble back, and a sharp pain in his leg finished the stumble with a fall. A shadow peaked down at him.

Bright hair. Blue eyes. Jay again.

"What?" Cole shook his head, unable to say anything else. He was outside. _Outside._ The cool mud beneath his fingers was all too real. As was the uncomfortable ache that accompanied him as he stood.

"Instead of what, let's go with _why_." Jay said, glancing at the torn part of Cole's jeans. "Why break the window? With your _leg_ no less? That looks like it hurt. Also, the owner's probably not going to be happy about that. Don't worry. I'll cover for you."

"I was. . . no." Cole shook his head again, but before he could continue the confused speech, Nya's face peeked through the broken glass. She looked as startled as he felt.

"What happened?" Nya blinked, frowned, and rubbed her eyes. "You're bleeding."

"I am." Cole nodded. "I kicked the window. I. . ."

"Why don't you come on out?" Jay asked, waving Nya forward. "The rain's all gone!"

"Yeah. I see that. The. . . we waited. The owner never showed."

"I'm sorry about that. Maybe you can head home and call back later? Or _I_ could call _you_." Jay shrugged. "Either works."

Nya nodded, still looking heavily dazed. Her face disappeared from the window, and soon enough, she was outside. Cole and Jay moved to meet her.

"We need to get the truck out." Cole forced himself to focus. The bizarre happenings in the house. . . they must have all emanated from his overly exhausted mind. With no desire to sound crazy, Cole swallowed the experience, determined to move forward.

Neither Jay nor Nya responded. Nya looked half asleep and Jay looked as if he were waiting for some sort of cue. Cole moved to the truck. He stuck the keys into the ignition, then twisted.

The engine made a painful, hissing sound. Then nothing. Cole tried again. Same result.

"C'mon, Rocky, don't do this." Despite Cole's pleading, the truck refused to work. With an annoyed huff, he popped open the hood.

Both Nya and Jay peeked inside. Cole did too, although, if he were honest, he didn't have any actual idea of what to look for. Despite having the truck for almost two years now, he knew absolutely nothing of what made it tick.

"Ah. Yeah. There's a hole on the hood there." Jay pointed. "Which means the rain soaked everything. Things are probably drenched. Maybe if you drain some parts it'll work? For a while, at least. Enough to get you home!"

"Right, yeah." Cole nodded, pretending to understand. "So which. . . parts?"

Jay pointed, but Cole couldn't make out what he was supposed to be looking at. Nya watched Cole's prideful attempt to hide his confusion and rolled her eyes. She then willed her mind to asses the present situation, pushing away the ever-lasting stories from her previous night.

"Can you help us out?" She asked Jay with a sweet smile, which was perhaps leaning a bit on the flirty side.

"Me?" Jay stepped back, crossing his arms over his chest. "No. No. Sorry. I know basic stuff but. . .no hands on experience here. I'd probably just make things worse."

"I'm sure it can't be as bad as anything _we'd_ do to the truck, if we tried." Nya pointed out.

"No. I don't- Wait. Wait!" Jay's eyes beamed with an idea. Cole and Nya exchanged quick, questioning glances. "There's a gas station! Duh. Not too far. Down the road! Yes. You could go there, call for someone to pick you up. Can you do that?"

Cole looked at Nya. Nya gave a nod. "Kai could probably swing by."

"Then it's a plan!" Jay clapped his hands together. "Just turn right when you get out of the grounds. Then keep going straight. You can't miss it!"

"Okay. . ." Cole and Nya said together, extremely unequipped to deal with Jay's sudden enthusiasm.

They walked the road in silence. Both dying to speak of their experiences, but neither quite willing to be the first. The moments inside the house had begun to feel more and more distant, coated in the fuzzy quality of a dream.

"Did something. . . weird happen to you in that house?" Nya finally gave in and asked, curiosity beating the possibility of embarrassment. "

"Like a weird dream, or something?"

"I think it was more than a dream." When Cole looked more intrigued than confused, Nya carried on. "We dozed off waiting for the owner. But then we woke up. And. . . we got separated."

"The endless loop of living rooms." Cole nodded, both eager and relieved. "Okay. I didn't want to say anything. I thought I'd. . . dreamed it all. It feels like I did. But it also feels like I didn't."

"When we got separated, I found this library. But the thing was. . . it had newspaper clippings in a book, right? But they were from a _future_ date. And they were all about _me_." Nya began to move her hands as she spoke. "Doing all sorts of things! I can't remember the details of everything anymore, but _Cole_ , it was amazing."

"I didn't have a good time at all." Cole shook his head. "I kept trying to get out. But the door never got any closer. I don't know how long I spent trying to reach it. The rest of the night, I suppose. I don't think we got any sleep."

"Well, now we know for sure that something isn't right. . ." Nya left the statement hanging, hinting that they should stay and unravel the mystery. Cole happily ignored said hint, and they walked the rest of the way in thoughtful silence.

The gas station was a disappointment. It looked run down, with rust and mold invading everything in sight. Within, a light glowed dimly, but it was the most unwelcoming sight either of them had ever seen.

"I'm _not_ going to the bathroom here." Cole pouted, sure that the toilets inside would mirror the gross aesthetic of the place.

"Yeah. I'll pass too. There's probably some fancy bathroom back at the mansion anyway."

"Fancy _haunted_ bathroom."

Nya wandered in, followed by a hesitant Cole. The inside was a bit more pleasant, although a bizarre smell hung around the place. Nya walked up to the counter, where an old woman was reading a book, looking extremely disinterested in her two new customers.

Nya cleared her throat, and the woman held up a finger. She then continued to read, letting a few minutes tick before closing the book. "Can I help you?"

"Do you have. . . a phone we could borrow, maybe? Our cell phones aren't working and-"

"I don't need a backstory." The woman rolled her eyes, before pointing at the back of the small shop. "Phone's back there. Don't steal anything."

Cole raised an eyebrow, eyeing the food and snacks that were probably aged beyond belief. As if anyone would _want_ to steal.

Together, they headed to the back, where a phone hung on the wall. Nya stepped up to it, then dialed Kai's number. The line rang, and she bit her lip as she waited for it to connect.

"Kai!" Nya smiled. "Hey. We're. . .kind of stuck. Remember the place I told you me and Cole were heading to? Well his truck broke down and we need some back up."

Whatever answer Kai gave her, she couldn't understand. The words were broken with static, making them impossible to figure out. "Kai? Did you hear what I said?"

The line fizzled, then died. Nya frowned at the phone. She hung up and tried again, but this time, there was no sound at all. "Crap."

"What?"

"It's not working. I don't even know if he heard me."

"No way." Cole shook his head, taking the phone from her hand. The tell-tale silence coming from it made his hand drop. " _Crap._ Now what?"

"We go back?"

Cole frowned.

"It's not like we can _walk_ home. I'm sure Kai will put two and two together eventually and come get us. The best thing for us to do is go and wait."

"I'm not going inside again!" Cole shook his head. "We got lucky, Nya. Whatever the heck is going on there, it's no good. Who knows what'll happen if we go back in? We could stay trapped in there forever!"

"That's ridiculous." Nya said, but the argument in her voice was weak. If Cole hadn't broken the window. . . she wasn't confident that she wouldn't still be there, reading newspaper clippings of a life she hadn't lived.

"It's not! It's . . ." Cole blinked, then frowned, his brain snapping connections between facts.

"Cole?"

"Trapped there forever. You don't think. . ?" Cole paced forward, and Nya followed. The old woman didn't watch them leave, once again more interested in her book. "The missing people. You don't think they're. . . _in_ the house? Still trapped?"

Nya bit her lip. "That's a possibility."

Cole let out a slow breath. He did _not_ want to go back into the mansion. But he couldn't walk away from it either, not if there were people that were possibly in need of help.

"We're going back?" Nya asked, trying to keep the eagerness from her tone.

"We're. . . going back." Cole nodded slowly. "But first. . . we should talk to Jay. He's got to have seen some of these people, right? And if he has, then he's _got_ to know something isn't right."

"Which means he purposely hid that from us." Nya said.

"Or worse." Cole pointed out. "Maybe it means _he's_ the one behind it all."


	4. Dinner With Lost Souls

Chapter 4- Dinner With Lost Souls

"You knew, didn't you? Are you the one doing this?"

Cole barged forward, his steps rough, and his attitude brash. He jumped on the offensive in an instant, needing to catch Jay off-guard.

And off-guard he was. Jay had been leisurely strolling through the grounds, and at the sight of a huffing Cole, he trotted backward, lifting his hands up in surrender. "Whoa, whoa, buddy, roll it back a bit."

With a grunt, Cole stopped. "The house. The weird stuff that happens in it. You're the one behind it."

"Er- no? I didn't do anything."

"So you admit that weird things _do_ happen."

"No!" Jay crossed his arms. "Stop putting words in my mouth or I'm not talking anymore."

Cole rolled his eyes. Nya stepped up, clutching a vanilla folder she'd retrieved from the truck. "Sorry about him. We're just wondering if. . . have any of these people come by here before?"

Jay looked as Nya began to flip through the papers. They held pictures and scribbled facts on the people that had gone missing. Before Nya reached the final page, Jay's eyes widened, and he waved her down. "Ah! Ah! Yeah. Yes. I've seen some of those people."

"I _knew_ it!" Cole shouted. "And you knew they went missing in there! And you didn't say anything!"

"I didn't know they went missing!" Jay countered. "I saw them, and I just figured they'd left when I wasn't around, you know?"

"Right. And you didn't see the news? Newspapers? Anything?"

"Don't know if you've noticed." Jay took another step back, opening his arms to signal the area around him. "But we're pretty in the middle of nowhere. I don't really get much outside world info."

"Who do you remember then?" Nya asked, voice much kinder in contrast to Cole's.

Jay smirked. "Is this a good cop, bad cop thing going on? You guys are good. It's pretty good. I like it. Good team. But yes. I remember the Garmadon family. They came. . . maybe two, three years ago? Time, huh. It's hard to keep up with it."

"How long _have_ you been working here?" Cole asked, to which Jay shrugged.

"What do you remember about the family, then?"

"They stayed overnight. They got here pretty late, because of. . . something or other. I don't remember. But they argued. A _lot_. The dad would say something, which the mom would counter right back, and they both had good points! I do remember _that_. Then the poor kid was just kind of, in between, looking like a lost puppy.

"After they went inside to talk to the owner, I just. . . went back to doing my thing. And then I just figured they'd left while I was sleeping, or something."

"Hmm." Nya frowned. "Do you know what they wanted to talk to the owner about?"

"Buying the place. Maybe. I don't know. Maybe they were relatives! I don't know. I didn't ask. I didn't talk to them."

"Why not?" Cole probed. "You talked to _us_."

"Well, you two seemed friendly." Jay shrugged. "Might not look it, since I'm pretty charming, but I've got a major case of social anxiety going on. I don't talk to intimidating people."

Nya thought for a second. "Thank you for sharing. Just. . . One last thing. I know you said you didn't really interact with them, but do you know _where_ in the house they spent the night?"

"One of the guest rooms probably." Jay shrugged. "You wouldn't. . . want me to show you to them, would you?"

"I would, actually," Nya responded, and both Jay and Cole expelled a shaky breath.

"Here comes the worst part, ha-ha," Jay muttered.

"What?" Nya asked

"Because uh- I hate in there. But I'll show you in! Just. . . stick close. The house is pretty big."

"And pretty haunted," Cole added, squinting his eyes at Jay's somewhat shifty movements.

Before opening the front door, Jay stopped, swiveling around to face them. "You didn't find something to eat at the gas station, did you?"

As if on cue, both Cole and Nya's stomach grumbled in protest. When was the last time they'd eaten?

"Crap." Cole hissed. "No. I mean not that anything was appetizing. But we should have gotten _something_."

"Yeah. I hadn't thought about eating. Not with all this weird stuff going on."

Jay nodded, more to himself than to them, once again muttering. This time, however, it was too soft to catch. Before either Cole or Nya could question the inaudible words, Jay opened the door and stepped inside. The two followed, moving hesitantly, eyeing the house with distrust.

Then an appetizing smell reached them and they paused, eyes glazing over with desperate hunger. Cole was the first to speak. "Is the. . . owner here? What is _that_?"

Instead of waiting for an answer, he moved forward through the hall. Jay frowned, then waved Nya forward. "C'mon, we have to stay together."

She nodded slowly, feeling unfocused. She was _really_ hungry. It was beginning to make her head spin. And the smell! All of the things she ever remembered enjoying were mingled together, making an irresistible aroma. She followed Jay through the hall, more concerned about the food than about staying together.

Jay tried to keep both of them in sight, head swiveling back and forth constantly. He was glad to stop when they reached the source of the smell. A closed-door Jay knew led into the dining room.

With shaky hands, Cole pushed the door open. Nya moved past Jay, eager to get a glimpse.

Anything they had the will to imagine sat atop the table. The mouths of the two journalists would have watered ceaselessly, but something kept them from losing their minds.

They weren't the only ones in the room.

The sight of the Garmadon family snapped Nya and Cole into reality forcefully, giving them both a dizzying whiplash.

The small family seemed oblivious to their presence. Even when all three of them moved closer, they continued to dine, sharing small talk, without ever looking up at all.

Cole shivered, uncomfortable. Nya kept calm, mentally switching to analytical thoughts. "I guess you were right. The people missing must be stuck here, somehow. Maybe there's something we can do to help?"

"Maybe," Cole said, then his stomach growled _loudly_ , making the rumble almost painful. "Maybe we can help them by finishing all the food. Ha. . ."

Nya knew Cole's suggestion wasn't a serious one, but she felt inclined to agree. If only to _eat_ something. "Well, it can't hurt to eat a couple of things, right?"

Instinctively, they both turned back to look at Jay, eyes questioning. The young man shrugged and waved them forward. "Can't hurt, no. But we shouldn't stay long. Just in case."

Nya and Cole nodded, then proceeded to eat. As they did so, they picked up on the conversation, realizing it wasn't a conversation at all, but a frozen loop of sentences.

"So, Lloyd, how do you like the house?" The father's gruff voice was the one to start it all.

"It's big." The child would reply. "But it's far from school. What about my friends?"

"Imagine the cool sleepovers you could all have!" The mother would then suggest, trying to use a cheery voice.

The child was not be convinced. "I like home better. I want to go home."

"Home." To this, the father would shake his head. Then with a blink, he would begin all over again. "So, Lloyd, how do you like the house?"

At first, Cole and Nya found the whole thing unsettling. But then they clicked into the rhythm of it all, and found it soothing. There was a certain comfort in knowing exactly what was coming next.

What could be better than this, really? A warm room, with _exquisite_ food, and the peaceful knowledge that nothing would ever go wrong?

Jay cleared his throat. He purposely made the sound as loud as he could manage.

Cole and Nya looked up at him, looking like groggy children forcefully awakened from a nap. "You two ready to go see the guest rooms?"

"Guest rooms?" Cole asked, rubbing his eyes. Then he stood quickly, stepping back away from the table. "The guest rooms. Yes. Yeah."

Nya was a bit slower in the uptake, but she fumbled back as well, as she realized how close she'd come to falling into the loop. She looked at Jay with gratitude. "Thank you. For snapping us out of that."

Jay smiled, but Cole frowned.

"How come you didn't fall into it too?" Cole asked, still untrusting.

"I probably think too many things at once to really fall into anything." Jay forced a laugh, to try and wave off his weak excuse. "So ready then? It's just upstairs. Stay close. The house-"

"-Is big and we could get lost. Yeah, yeah." Cole walked past Jay, footsteps heavy.


	5. Tumbling Dominoes

Chapter 5- Tumbling Dominoes

"Sorry about him. He's a grump." Nya gave Jay a small smile, which he dutifully returned.

"Absolutely understandable." Jay shrugged in response. He momentarily turned away from Nya, to make sure Cole was still in sight. He was. "I would be grumpy too if-"

"If what?"

Jay thought for a second, mouth opening and closing as he tasted unspoken words. "If- well, what I- It's just that this place is pretty out of the norm. I don't blame him for being on edge."

"Oh. Yeah." Nya's smile faded. "How come. . . you're acting like all this is just your average day. It's a little weird, if you don't mind me saying."

Jay bit his lip. Nya could see secrets shining in his eyes. They shifted, as he decided what to say, and what _not_ to say. Observing this, Nya decided to follow Cole's suit and remain on her toes. The guy before her seemed kind and friendly, but he definitely knew more than he was letting on.

"Okay, I'll be honest with you." Jay finally spoke, as they moved up the stairs, where Cole had stopped to wait. All three of them moved together, steps loud against the silence. "I knew there was something weird about this house. I just. . . didn't know how to bring it up. You've got to admit, if I'd started spouting off nonsense about endless hallways and magical dinners, neither of you would have wanted to trust me."

"That's fair." Nya said, but she wasn't wholly convinced. Neither was Cole. They exchanged quick glances, silently agreeing to not let Jay out of their sight.

Moving through the hall, Nya noticed that the world outside had darkened considerably. The broken passage of time was another thing that didn't make sense. At least the rain hadn't returned.

Nya hoped Kai _would_ worry after the static-filled call, and decide to track them down. With loads of luck, this time tomorrow, they would all be home, working on the best way to write out their experiences.

"Here we go!" Jay's eternally cheerful tone broke through her thoughts, as he pushed open one of the doors. How he could tell it was the right one, when every other door around them looked identical, Nya couldn't even begin to guess. "Guest room number one."

She stepped inside. "We should. . . try and see if there's anything that will tell us . . . Anything about them, or. . . something. I guess?"

"That's your most coherent plan yet." Cole teased.

Nya ignored him. Instead, she began to peek around the room.

Cole did the same. He took a picture of everything as a whole, then paced around to capture the smaller details. His steps led him to another door. Cole twisted the handle, pushing it open to reveal a small private bathroom. He flicked the light on before stepping inside.

The mirror was darkened with age, and the once silver faucets were covered in grime. "Haunted bathrooms are gross. Maybe you should tell the owner to look into hiring a cleaning service."

Cole looked up to the mirror as he joked, to look back at the others. The reflection in the mirror, however, had different ideas on what to portray.

It was completely coated in a gray, mist-like cloud. From that, a shape began to form. Cole opened his mouth to call out, but found that his throat was tightened into uselessness.

So he stared, body frozen, fingers clutching his camera. The shape in the mirror grew in detail, until he was staring into the eyes of an old man. His blue eyes shone with knowledge, and a long white beard framed his aged features.

Unsettling as this was, Cole was somehow convinced that the old man was not dangerous. He cleared his throat, slowly relaxing enough to speak. He took a step back. "Hey, uh, Nya? There's-"

 _Slam!_

The door to the bathroom shut behind him with an ear-deafening sound. The lights went out. Cole screamed and jolted, swiveling around to face the blocked exit. His hands fumbled for the handle, but surprise, surprise, it wouldn't twist. Locked.

" _Nya!_ " Cole shouted, more scared that he'd been in their whole little misadventure. He hated ghosts. He hated the dark. He hated _this_. "Nya, open the door!"

He pounded his fists against the door, but he could hear nothing from the other room. Even though he knew it was pointless, Cole tried the handle again, desperately attempting to force it open.

"Just get the lights on. Yeah. Get the lights on." Cole nodded to himself as he spoke, feeling around for the light switch. His hand slid over the wall. Nothing. He took a step forward. The light switch had been planted beside the door. And now it just. . . wasn't.

He took a couple more tentative steps, while still leaning against the wall. He pictured the bathroom in his head. Soon, he would come up to the tub. Just one more step and. . . still nothing.

"Camera," Cole muttered to himself, lifting the precious object. With a click, the flash illuminated his surroundings briefly.

The bathroom was gone. In its place, was a hall, much like the one he'd seen the first night. Okay. Alright. He could work with this.

Still holding up the camera, Cole flicked on the night vision. The small screen revealed the hall in a greenish hue. Eyes glued to this, Cole moved forward. As he did so, he tried to state the concrete facts of everything they'd been through, to keep his fear from spiraling out of control.

"The house changes. To take shape of something we want. But what do I want? I wasn't thinking of anything." Cole found that speaking aloud was a little soothing.

"We haven't seen any ghosts. No _actual_ ghosts. The family in the kitchen didn't seem like ghosts. They were real. Solid. They were _there_. What kind of haunted house doesn't have ghosts?

"Can't be ghosts. Can't be poltergeists either. Nope. Those only move stuff. They can't change. . . change things. Like this. At least I don't think so. So then what?

"It's the house itself." Cole found himself moving a bit faster, even though there was no end in sight. "The house itself. . . but why? How? It doesn't make any sense. Nothing makes any sense."

The camera's screen dimmed, while the battery icon flickered. Cole grimaced, feeling around in his pockets for extra batteries. None. He sighed, pressing his hand against the wall and slowly lowering the camera.

The hall had to end. It _would_ end, if that's what he wanted it to do. Cole began to mutter the word to himself. _End. End. End. End._

Something flickered in the distance. Cole's heart skipped a beat. Anything other than endless darkness was a blessing.

As he moved closer, he was able to distinguish it. The mirror! And within it, the old man waited.

"You!" Cole didn't care if the man was the cause of everything. He needed _someone_ to talk to. "What's going on? Can you talk?"

The man smiled at him. It was a worried, sad smile. Cole stepped closer, waiting. The man did not speak

"How can I get out?" Cole tried.

Instead of giving a concrete answer, the reflection uttered five little words. A sentence that seemed to have nothing to do with the situation he was in. Cole frowned. Not understanding. He repeated the words himself, with the tilt of a question at the end.

The world shifted when he did so. Cole's fingers shook, and the camera fell against the floor.

* * *

"Hey, uh, Nya? There's-"

Nya turned to Cole, just in time to see the door slam shut. "Cole!"

From within the locked bathroom, there was no response. She'd expected to hear panicked pounding instantly, and the lack of it made goosebumps crawl up her arm.

Shaking off the shock, Nya scrambled toward the door. "Cole?"

The handle responded to the movement of her wrist, twisting open with a soft _click!_ Nya opened it slowly, fearful of what would be waiting inside. Jay walked up beside her.

"Crap." They both said, in unison, as they realized the bathroom before them was empty. Cole was gone.

"Now what?" Jay asked, although he didn't seem confused at all. Nya glazed over this fact, her worry for Cole and her desire to figure things out blotting out everything else.

"He said. . . When we got separated yesterday, he said the house responded to the things he wanted. When he thought about finding me, bamm! There I was. So maybe. . ."

"We just. . . tell the house we want to find him?"

"Yes. It sounds kind of ridiculous but. . ."

"I mean, after all that's happened I think we can set the normal rules for reality to the side."

Nya smiled. "Yeah, no kidding."

They ventured out into the hall together, calling out for Cole at random intervals, while peeking into any unlocked rooms they came across. Searching for his friend felt all too familiar, and Nya was shuddered to think it was exactly the same thing she'd been doing the night before.

She did _not_ want to be trapped in a loop of her own.

"It's not working." Jay frowned. "He isn't anywhere. Are you sure you're thinking about finding him?"

" _Yes_." Nya hissed, although, in fact, she sort of wasn't. Of course, she wanted to find Cole. But there was something she wanted more than that. She wanted to figure this whole, topsy-turvy house.

They both went hand in hand regardless, didn't they?

If she figured out _everything_ , Cole was bound to turn up among her answers.

The sight of the next room was unwelcome. Nya frowned at the living room that had continued to appear restlessly the night before. "I'm starting to get sick of this place."

This time, however, something _was_ different. Sitting atop the fireplace, was her own folder, the one filled with the reports of missing people.

She took a step toward it. She had asked the house for answers. And the house had complied.


	6. Unwanted Answers

Chapter 6- Unwanted Answers

Nya picked up the folder.

She opened it slowly. The papers within hadn't changed. Nya began to read through each of them slowly, with keen eyes and a patient mind.

She had missed something. She _had_ to have missed something, if the house had offered up these papers in her plea for answers.

"We should really keep looking for Cole." Jay piped in, but Nya waved him off. Instead of backing away, Jay stepped closer, until he stood right before her. "Nya. Stop. We need to find him."

"No." Nya shook his head. "Give me a second."

Jay began to fidget. Nya kept reading.

When she reached the last page, the papers fell from her hands. She stumbled as the world tilted.

"You looked familiar. I _knew_ you looked familiar!" Nya's breathing was quick, and she fumbled to regain control of herself.

Out of all the missing cases, only one person had ever been found. And that person stood before her. Except, that couldn't have been possible. Because that person had been found _dead_.

"Look, I know this seems insane." Jay spoke quickly. "But you've got to trust me. We need to find Cole, and we need to get you out of here. Both of you."

"You're a _ghost_." Nya couldn't listen to Jay's words. She reached out for him, flinching as her hand slipped right through the seemingly solid body. "A _ghost_."

"Nya, just listen. Please."

"Are you the one behind all this?" Nya took a breath, slowly regaining her composure. She shook her head. "I should have known. You were always there. Always. And there's clearly things you know that you wouldn't say! Where's Cole? What did you do to him?"

"I didn't do anything!" Jay threw his hands up. "I've been trying to help you! It is _not_ me. You've got to trust me."

"Seriously? How? How can I trust-" Nya bit her lip, shaking her head. "I need to find Cole. Just stay away from me."

"Nya don't! We have to stay together, let me help you."

Nya struggled not to listen. She needed to find Cole. Cole was all that mattered.

When she _did_ find him, she would never be done apologizing. The dumb story was not worth this. Trying to save the random souls trapped in the mansion was not worth her friend.

Nya could still hear Jay shouting from somewhere behind her. She shivered, struggling to move faster. A _ghost_. Right in front of her. This whole time. It was somehow more unnerving than any of the other things she'd dealt with.

Once she couldn't hear Jay's voice anymore, Nya slowed, daring to shout Cole's name through the halls. Now she _truly_ wanted to find him.

" _Cole!_ " The echoes of her voice were the only other sounds. "Cole!"

Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

Why had she insisted on doing this?

How had she _ever_ been convinced that the perfect story was worth this?

She wanted to go back.

Nya's foot kicked a small object, sending it spinning through the wooden floor. Cole's camera. Nya kneeled to retrieve it, fingers shaking. "Cole. . ."

It took her a few seconds to realize that the camera was recording. Once she did, Nya stopped it, then hurriedly worked to rewind the video. Maybe there was a clue as to where her friend had gone.

The video began. She heard Cole's soft muttering. He moved through a dark hall slowly, but each step became more confident than the last. Out of nowhere, his feet shuffled to a stop. There was a weird, broken static, and the video skipped forward. Cole's voice came again. This time loud and clear.

 _I wish to see you?_

The camera dropped from Cole's hands, so that only his legs were visible. There was more static, and the audio suddenly cut out completely. Nya trembled, as her friend's body suddenly flickered out of existence, as if it had never been there at all.

She clutched the camera to her chest. She couldn't understand.

Where had Cole gone?

There was only one way to know the answer. To follow in his footsteps.

Nya cleared her throat, then spoke as loudly as she dared. "I wish to see you!"

The sudden apparition before her would have been frightening, had she not already been through more than enough.

A man floated before her, both solid and not, with four muscled arms sprouting from his body. There was a malicious glint in his eyes, as he smiled down at Nya.

"Your wish, is yours to keep."

* * *

"Nya, come on!"

Jay shouted as he ran. One advantage of being dead. You never ran out of breath.

As soon as Nya was out of sight, the house shifted, knowing exactly what to do to keep him away. He growled, hopping through walls and doors as if they didn't exist, but Nya was still nowhere to be found.

Disadvantage of being dead. People tended to freak out.

That dumb folder. And this dumb house. Both of them, conspiring against him. Both of them always succeeding.

Maybe he could still stop Nya. If he reached her in time. . .

But how could he? If the house kept shifting at will, he would never be able to find her. Nya could be standing just beyond his reach, and he would never know. Still, Jay had to try. As long as there was a chance to stop her, he had to try.

Breakfast room.

Dining room.

Music room.

Pointless room.

No Nya.

* * *

"What are you?" Nya asked. " _Who_ are you?"

"You do not recognize my voice? I am the owner of this place." The man bowed. "Nadakhan, at your service."

"The people here." Nya took a step back, still clutching Cole's camera. "What did you do to them?"

"I only granted their wishes. They had unfulfilled desires as they walked through my doors. . . and I gave them what they wanted."

"And Cole? What did you do to Cole?"

"He wished for a way out. I simply obliged."

"Give him back." Nya hissed. "Give me back my friend!"

"I do not take orders." Nadakhan shook his head. "But I _do_ take wishes."

* * *

"Give me back my friend!"

Jay skidded to a halt as Nya's voice reached his ears. Nadakhan's magic grip on the house waned as his focus shifted. This was Jay's chance. He knew he wouldn't have much time. He had no proof that anything would be different this time.

Still, he ran to the sound.

"Don't wish, don't wish, don't wish." He muttered, willing Nya to somehow hear his desperate plea.

* * *

A wish.

That was all she needed.

Just one wish.

She needed Cole back.

* * *

There!

Jay almost melted with relief. He was here. He was on time. She hadn't wished. She was still _here_.

"I wish I had Cole back!"

"No!" Jay's shout came too late.

Nya couldn't hear him.

No one could.


	7. Closed Loop

Chapter 7- Closed Loop

Jay had failed. _Again_.

The world reset around him, rolling back, back, back until the start of it all. The sensation was sickeningly familiar. He stood still, watching time move through all his mistakes, all the missed chances, all the feeble attempts to put a halt to the closed loop of actions he had found himself chained to.

No matter what he did, everything let to this.

He had really, _really_ believed this time things would be different. He'd never tried ushering Nya and Cole to the gas station before. A lot of good that did. Whoever they'd called hadn't come in time.

Jay struggled to shake away the negative thoughts, pacing back and forth as he waited for everything to begin again.

There had to be a way to end it. There had to be a possibility he was missing, a choice, _something_.

But he had tried most things. And they hadn't worked.

If he stuck closer to Cole, Nya wound up falling prey to the house in a flash. Then Cole was _quick_ at putting two and two together, figuring out Jay was a ghost sooner rather than later.

Then the trust was lost. Cole wished for Nya back.

And _loop._

If he ignored them both, and let them go their own way, Nya would insist on finding a way in. Cole would stay behind. Nya winds up trapped. Cole rushes in to rescue her. . .

Loop.

Jay had also tried being honest. Telling them both _everything,_ if only to make them more cautious. That, however, only served to lose their trust.

Then _loop, loop, loop._

Jay could still remember the first time he'd found the house. How everything had seemed perfect, yet wrong at the same time. He'd caught on. Not fast enough, unfortunately. Once his mind had clicked, the only way out was a rather unconventional one.

Perhaps, if he'd known how to land on his feet. . .

The sound of Cole's truck approaching snapped Jay out of his pity party. He shook his head, and massaged his cheeks, trying to find the perfect smile. But it was difficult. Jay was tired.

Nothing ever made a difference. They all always wound up separated.

This time it had been Cole. But Nya had gotten herself lost plenty of times.

He should put them both on a leash. That would probably work.

The image made him chuckle, but the sound was so sad and tired, which served only to weigh on his mood.

Jay had tried chasing them away, once. But Nya. She was stubborn. She'd somehow snuck inside, and before Jay knew it, the world was once again resetting around him.

"Let's go. The owner's probably waiting for us."

Jay mouthed the words along with Nya, before it was his turn to speak.

"They're not home, actually!"

When the whole thing had first begun, Jay had been deeply frustrated at Cole and Nya both. After all, everyone else had latched onto the house without causing any turmoil. Why couldn't they?

The Garmadon family, eternally trapped in a shallow circle of peace.

The old teacher, Wu, forever captured as a reflection to watch over all.

"Hello! You must be the ones that called yesterday. I'm Jay. I take care of the place. Ish. Not much _one_ person can do against _this_ mess." Jay chuckled, gesturing to the tall grass and invasive vines. "But I do try."

Then there was also Pixal and Zane, in a perpetual search for one another, always one step away from their happy ending. Stumbling into them was rare. Jay always enjoyed it.

"I'm Nya."

"And I'm wondering what you meant when you said the owner isn't home?" Cole asked.

"That's a _long_ name." Jay laughed again. The sound prickled against his throat. Laughing was the _last_ thing he wanted to do. "In all seriousness though, something came up. You could wait. Or you could go home. Come back some other time. He probably wouldn't mind."

Why had Cole and Nya been different?

The first couple of times, Jay had hated them with everything he had. But now? If he was honest with himself, he cared for them both. They felt like old friends, even if neither of them remembered anything, each time the world reset.

If Jay was to find a way out of the loop. . . He would lose them.

Sure, Cole and Nya would go off and continue their lives, with no knowledge of what they had escaped.

But Jay. . .

He would end up alone, with nothing more than the house's shifting walls and suffocating vegetation for company.

Was it really so bad then, to keep things how they were?

As Cole and Nya argued amongst themselves over whether or not to go inside the mansion, Jay studied them.

He didn't want to lose them. Not really. And he didn't have to.

What was the point of fighting against the loop?

They reached their decision. And Jay reached his. With a smile that was just a little brighter, he waved them forward. "Follow me, then!"

Follow me, and stay.

Forever.


End file.
